Courts and Courtiers in the Renaissance

Abstract

Courts were the center of political and cultural life in the Renaissance. A longstanding sociological theory sets the origins of our modern concept of civilized behavior in the Renaissance courts. Differentiating themselves from medieval courts by abandoning itinerancy and becoming more and more stable, Renaissance courts assumed a fixed, enclosed, and elitist structure, with the prince or lord at its center and a complex entourage of courtiers employed in different tasks surrounding him. At the same time, courts were places of unprecedented social mobility, where men of humble origins and great ambition could strive to obtain success and fame. In addition, they were important venues for the distribution of patronage: princes invested in writers and artists who could bring prestige to their court and make it outshine any rivals. Renaissance courts are also of paramount importance for gender studies. The courtly environment saw examples of powerful and influential females, who challenged the still existing stereotypes of women’s weakness and inferiority to men. Finally, the court was one of the main topics of Renaissance satiric writings, which offered a completely different picture from the image of splendor and magnificence that the courtly environment tried to present, depicting courts as overrun by hideous vices such as envy, flattery, and ruthless competition for success.